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Ayr — UK General Election Results

Compiled by EveryElectionResult.com's data team · Last updated 2026-08-30

Ayr was won by Labour at the 2001 general election, with a majority of 2,545 votes over Conservative. This page covers every general election in Ayr from 1950 to 2001.

Full Election History, 1950–2001

Election Elected Votes Vote Share Runner-up Majority Turnout
1950 Thomas Cecil Russell Moore (Unionist) 21,094 58.6% John Pollock (Labour) 6,214 (17.3 pts) 84.7%
1951 Thomas Cecil Russell Moore (Unionist) 21,985 58.3% Janet Auld (Labour) 6,283 (16.7 pts) 86.5%
1955 Sir Thomas Cecil Russell Moore (Unionist) 20,006 59.1% JM Janet Auld (Labour) 6,140 (18.1 pts) 77.1%
1959 Sir Thomas Cecil Russell Moore (Unionist) 19,659 54.7% Alexander Mark Hughes Eadie (Labour) 3,356 (9.3 pts) 79.1%
1964 George Kenneth Hotson Younger (Unionist) 20,047 52.2% Alexander Mark Hughes Eadie (Labour) 1,701 (4.4 pts) 83.0%
1966 George Younger (Conservative) 19,988 50.6% Charles Ernest O'Halloran (Labour) 484 (1.2 pts) 85.3%
1970 George Younger (Conservative) 22,220 52.7% James Mark Craigen (Labour) 4,450 (10.5 pts) 81.5%
Feb 1974 George Younger (Conservative) 21,626 50.5% Jean Alexander McFadden (Labour) 5,098 (11.9 pts) 83.1%
Oct 1974 George Younger (Conservative) 17,487 42.4% Robin Stirling Stewart (Labour) 3,219 (7.8 pts) 79.4%
1979 George Younger (Conservative) 18,907 43.3% Keith McDonald (Labour) 2,768 (6.3 pts) 79.8%
1983 George Younger (Conservative) 21,325 42.8% Keith McDonald (Labour) 7,987 (16.0 pts) 76.7%
1987 George Younger (Conservative) 20,942 39.4% Keith McDonald (Labour) 182 (0.3 pts) 79.9%
1992 Phil Gallie (Conservative) 22,172 40.8% Alastair Osborne (Labour) 85 (0.2 pts) 82.6%
1997 Sandra Osborne (Labour) 21,679 48.4% Phil Gallie (Conservative) 6,543 (14.6 pts) 80.2%
2001 Sandra Osborne (Labour) 16,801 43.6% Phil Gallie (Conservative) 2,545 (6.6 pts) 69.3%

Full Result Breakdown by Election

1950

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Cecil Russell Moore Unionist 21,09458.6% Yes
John Pollock Labour 14,88041.4% No

1951

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Thomas Cecil Russell Moore Unionist 21,98558.3% Yes
Janet Auld Labour 15,70241.7% No

1955

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Sir Thomas Cecil Russell Moore Unionist 20,00659.1% Yes
JM Janet Auld Labour 13,86640.9% No

1959

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Sir Thomas Cecil Russell Moore Unionist 19,65954.7% Yes
Alexander Mark Hughes Eadie Labour 16,30345.3% No

1964

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Kenneth Hotson Younger Unionist 20,04752.2% Yes
Alexander Mark Hughes Eadie Labour 18,34647.8% No

1966

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Younger Conservative 19,98850.6% Yes
Charles Ernest O'Halloran Labour 19,50449.4% No

1970

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Younger Conservative 22,22052.7% Yes
James Mark Craigen Labour 17,77042.1% No
Leslie Anderson SNP 2,1865.2% No

Feb 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Younger Conservative 21,62650.5% Yes
Jean Alexander McFadden Labour 16,52838.6% No
Charles Duncan Calman SNP 4,70611.0% No

Oct 1974

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Younger Conservative 17,48742.4% Yes
Robin Stirling Stewart Labour 14,26834.6% No
Elizabeth Ann Robinson SNP 6,90216.7% No
Neill Murray Tosh Liberal 2,6116.3% No

1979

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Younger Conservative 18,90743.3% Yes
Keith McDonald Labour 16,13936.9% No
Richard Macdougal Mabon Liberal 4,65610.7% No
John McGill SNP 3,9989.1% No

1983

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Younger Conservative 21,32542.8% Yes
Keith McDonald Labour 13,33826.8% No
Charles Gilchrist Brodie Liberal 12,74025.6% No
Ian Roy Goldie SNP 2,4314.9% No

1987

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
George Younger Conservative 20,94239.4% Yes
Keith McDonald Labour 20,76039.1% No
Keith Moody Liberal 7,85914.8% No
Colin Weir SNP 3,5486.7% No

1992

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Phil Gallie Conservative 22,17240.8% Yes
Alastair Osborne Labour 22,08740.6% No
Barbara Mullin SNP 5,94910.9% No
John Boss Liberal Democrat 4,0677.5% No
Richard Scott Natural Law 1320.2% No

1997

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Sandra Osborne Labour 21,67948.4% Yes
Phil Gallie Conservative 15,13633.8% No
Ian Blackford SNP 5,62512.6% No
Clare Hamblen Liberal Democrat 2,1164.7% No
John Enos Referendum Party 2000.4% No

2001

CandidatePartyVotesShareElected
Sandra Osborne Labour 16,80143.6% Yes
Phil Gallie Conservative 14,25637.0% No
Jim Mather SNP 4,62112.0% No
Stuart Richie Liberal Democrat 2,0895.4% No
James Stewart Scottish Socialist 6921.8% No
Joseph Smith UKIP 1010.3% No

Margin Over Time

Winning margin (percentage points) at each election, coloured by the winning party.

1950: Unionist margin 17.3 pts 1951: Unionist margin 16.7 pts 1955: Unionist margin 18.1 pts 1959: Unionist margin 9.3 pts 1964: Unionist margin 4.4 pts 1966: Conservative margin 1.2 pts 1970: Conservative margin 10.5 pts Feb 1974: Conservative margin 11.9 pts Oct 1974: Conservative margin 7.8 pts 1979: Conservative margin 6.3 pts 1983: Conservative margin 16.0 pts 1987: Conservative margin 0.3 pts 1992: Conservative margin 0.2 pts 1997: Labour margin 14.6 pts 2001: Labour margin 6.6 pts 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001

Trend

Ayr has been contested at 15 general elections on record since 1950. Parties that have won a seat here over that span: Unionist, Conservative, Labour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won Ayr in the 2001 general election?

Labour won Ayr in 2001 with 16,801 votes (43.6%), a majority of 2,545 votes over Conservative in second place.

Which parties have won Ayr since 1950?

Since 1950, Ayr has been won by: Conservative, Labour, Unionist.

What was the closest result in Ayr?

The closest result on record for Ayr was 1992, when Conservative beat Labour by just 85 votes (0.2 percentage points).

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